The ECB was founded in March 1999 and is the result of several international meetings during which people from institutions from across Europe have jointly identified the need for strengthening existing collaborative structures and for lobbying policy makers to recognize independent media culture as an important field in-between contemporary culture and the development of media and information technologies.

The most important aims of the ECB are to widen access to new communication technologies for artists, cultural initiatives and the broader audience and to establish a European wide digital infrastructure for cultural production, research and exchange.

The coalition of cultural institutions and individuals wishes to act as a mediator between industry, education, policy makers and the arts and culture.